Hauling Bikes

[Papafish]

Has anyone tried putting an extra king sized mattress pad on top of bed and hauling the bikes there. Once you arrive, move them outside and lock em up. Steve

[rafael33155]

I called keystone Montana and ask them could i put a hitch on the back of my 2013 3100rl and they told me it would void the warranty might want to check first before installing one

[Rainer]

Phone conversations on important matters like this scare me. It will always end up "he said / she said."

Instead I would recommend sending an old fashioned letter, awaiting the reply, and then being 100% sure if the "you-know-what hits the fan."

I would suggest there would be a great deal of difficulty with a blanket voiding of a warranty by bolting a bike carrier to the rear bumper.

Some other observations:

It would seem that someone crashing into the bumper and doing a considerable amount of damage wouldn't void a warranty,, yet that hypothetical damage would be much more detrimental than a bolt-on bike rack. A point to ponder

Put a bike on the rear bumper and something breaks inside the Montana, Keystone would be hard pressed to prove that these things are related.

And lastly, but not least, I don't remember reading this "void the warranty" clause in the paperwork I received. Did I miss something?

[Art-n-Marge]

I haven't taken measurements for the headlights being blocked, but I'm still leaning towards a front mounted receiver and the bike carrier fastened to that. I might have to remove the wheels but that's easy enough for me. Then in my state, I'll have to find a way to mount the front license plate, so I don't get a ticket when driving through Goodyear, AZ (old story, ask Ozz about it).

I have carried the bikes behind the hitch, in the truck bed, but nowadays, we carry so much other stuff there, the bicycles stay home.

[sambam]

When I went on my long trip this summer, I was able to remove the front wheels from my daughter and her friend's bikes and put them in the bed sideways up by the cab. With a longbed, you can do it, not sure about a shortbed. Debbie's and my bikes went on the roof as usual.